Whittier courthouse closure moving ahead

WHITTIER -- The last day of operations at the Whittier Courthouse now appears to be May 28, a month earlier than the previously announced deadline of June 28.

Although June 30 remains the official date by which Los Angeles Superior Court officials said 10 courthouses, including Whittier's, must be closed, employees at the courthouse say operations are already being moved.

"Look at all this equipment," said one woman in the clerk's office who asked not to be identified, referring to the size of the task of moving out.

Los Angeles Superior Court officials announced Nov. 15 that due to a budget shortfall between $56.6 million to $85.3 million, services were being removed from 10 county courthouses, including Whittier's.

The Whittier Courthouse has been the location of the courts of five judges and a commissioner. In addition, there are civil and small claims courts, public defenders' offices, a Los Angeles County D.A.'s office, a county clerk's office, the sheriff's court services office and a traffic department.

Asked for an update on the closings at Whittier, L.A. Superior Court spokeswoman Mary Hearn said by email Friday, "All of the components of the Court Consolidation Plan must be implemented by June 30, 2013. With regard to courthouses scheduled for closure, various court services will be withdrawn in phases over the next few months. Affected parties and stakeholders are being notified of the moves. "

On Monday she said she had no additional information concerning Whittier.

However, according to employees, all courthouse operations will cease on Friday, Aug. 24, with June 14 the final day of cleanup.

All of the cases will be transferred to the Superior Court's locations in Bellflower, Downey and Norwalk.

Judge James Horan moved out of the courthouse on April 4 and transferred to Downey.

The closing was decried as an infringement on Whittier-area residents' access to the courts and justice by numerous officials and organizations, including the Whittier City Council, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the ACLU, and SEIU Local 721, a union representing some Superior Court employees.

Whittier police Chief Jeff Piper in December said the planned closure would place a burden on witnesses, victims and others who use the judicial system and will now have to travel to courts in Downey, Norwalk or Bellflower.

"It's plausible that many citizens will decline to use the judicial system - to which they're entitled - out of frustration," said Piper, who oversees police services in Whittier and Santa Fe Springs.

Last month, Hearn said several hundred jobs will be lost at a result of the consolidation of the courts. However, the exact number had not been determined, she said.

At the 10 courthouses set for closure, there are 237 employees. However, they may not be the ones who lose their jobs. Seniority will most likely be the determining factor, which means some employees whose jobs are eliminated will be transferred to another location, resulting in a less-senior person at that location getting the pink slip.

According to one Superior Court employee, employees of who are being laid off in the County Clerk's Office countywide will get notices June 14.

The Superior Court's seniority list was posted online on Monday.

Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles, a Van Nuys-based group that provides free legal services, filed lawsuits in federal and state court opposing the closures. However, those cases were dismissed. The group is in the process of filing an appeal in federal court.

The SEIU Local 721 hasn't given up its attempts to stop the closures.

The union has events set for April 20 to stop the Canyon Justice Center's closing and in mid-May has invited the presiding judge for a public hearing.

"We still think there's time to stop the courthouse consolidation process, which is going to be devastating to L.A. County," said Ian Thompson, a spokesman for the union.

The public still hasn't had any input on the matter, he said. And an Assembly subcommittee recently recommended putting $418 million back in the state judiciary's budget.

"We don't know what that means for L.A. County, but it's is good news for the judiciary," said Thompson.

The public and court workers oppose the closures, he said, and the judges should wait to see what happens with funding before pushing through the closures.

"Getting statewide funding for the courts is yet another reason for the L.A. County judges to stop their misguided consolidation process," he said.